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Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Basics: Who is God the Father?

Let’s talk about God. Who is He? You might
think the answer is simple. You might be wrong.

Most of the time, when people say “God,” they’re
specifically speaking of God the Father. But there’s more to Him than that. For
starters, God refers to Himself as being triune. That doesn’t mean He’s
schizophrenic to the third degree. It doesn’t mean that there are three parts
that make up God. It especially doesn’t mean there are three gods. He means
that He’s simultaneously singular (Deuteronomy 6:4, James 2:19), plural
(Genesis 1:26, Matthew 3:16-17), and equal within Himself (Isaiah 9:6,
Psalm 139:7, John 1:1-2, 2 Corinthians 13:14).

With that said, it’s likely that you’ve heard blasphemous
things about Him. You may have been told that He’s not triune. Maybe you were
taught that He’s a glorified man. Perhaps you’ve heard that He doesn’t exist at
all, but that He’s just a part of people’s imaginations as they seek to explain
the universe.

In Genesis 18, various attributes of the Father collide.
Abraham, interceding for Sodom, asks God if He would destroy the city even if
just ten righteous men lived there. The Father’s response: “For the sake of ten
I will not destroy it,” (v. 32). Abraham rightly acknowledged God as Judge,
knowing that He is perfectly just (v. 25). Not only is the Father just, but
He’s also full of grace. Abraham started by asking God about fifty righteous
men, then forty-five, then thirty, then twenty, then, finally, ten. God’s
servant knew he was taking dangerous liberties. Twice he said, “Oh let not
the Lord be angry [with me],” (v. 30, 32), and, remarkably, the Father
wasn’t. He graciously conversed with Abraham.

In Job 38, the Father speaks to Job, asking him hypothetical
questions that reveal his weakness in light of God’s power. “Where were you
when I laid the foundation of the earth?” He asked (v. 4). “Have you
comprehended the expanse of the Earth? Declare, if you know all this,”
(v. 18). The point He was making is that He is far greater than man. Job
understood this, as he responded, “Behold, I am of small account; what
shall I answer You? I lay my hand on my mouth,” (40:4).

The Father is your Maker. He sees all, knows all, and
judges all. You were made in His image and likeness and His will is for you to
know Him. There is none greater than Him and none could ever match His glory.

My comment about God being a glorified man doesn't just reference LDS theology, but other theologies as well. Lorenzo Snow broke down the LDS theology of it in a simple couplet: http://www.mrm.org/lorenzo-snow-couplet.

Aside from the debate as to whether this is official LDS doctrine or not, as you rightly said, most Mormons probably believe it to be true. And that's the issue I'm addressing here.

I'm glad you are in agreement with me to some extent, but keep in mind what it says in the About section of the site: "An area of presupposition concerning the content on this site: the Bible is the Word of God, thus completely true. Anything outside of this presupposition will not be debated or discussed here."

Also, remember that God does not have a body and no one has ever seen Him (see John 4:24 and 6:46).